Late-game rally not enough for IU to beat Buckeyes on the road

Despite nearly coming back from 15 points in the second half at No. 5 Ohio State, the IU women's basketball team lost to the Buckeyes (18-1, 7-0) 72-62 Thursday night.\nThe Hoosiers (13-8, 2-6) dropped their fourth straight game, the last three against ranked opponents. Though IU was able to hold Big Ten leading scorer and All-American Jessica Davenport to only 12 points, they were unable to contain Buckeyes guard Brandie Hoskins, who finished with a game-high 19 points.\n"We played with poise, we played smart, we played with intensity and we played with no fear," IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. "We fell short and this is a team that's going to get better. This is a team that believes in what they're trying to do, and at the end of the day, I think that we're going to be a team that's going to be a force to be reckoned with at the NCAA tournament."\nFor the fourth game in a row, the Hoosiers were unable to shoot better than 40 percent from the field, and they only managed to shoot a field-goal percentage of 36 against the Buckeyes. Ohio State shot 51 percent from the field and dominated play throughout the middle 20 minutes of the game.\nAfter two Davenport free throws, and down 60-45 with 8:47 to go, the Hoosiers started to put together a 15-5 run during the next seven minutes, capped by a 3-pointer from freshman guard Jamie Braun. Braun's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 65-60. \nBut on the ensuing possession Hoskins came right back and hit a 12-foot jump shot to put an end to the Hoosiers' comeback. After a bucket from junior guard Nikki Smith, IU was forced to foul Ohio State the rest of the way.\nPlaying with only six players against the Buckeyes, Legette-Jack said the team's focus was much improved after a home loss to Purdue on Jan. 21, when she said several of her players weren't ready to compete mentally.\nThough the team played well against one of the strongest teams in the nation, Legette-Jack didn't want to call it a moral victory.\n"Our goal is not to come close," Legette-Jack said. "Our goal is to have more victories. Our goal is to compete to win. We're going to learn the lesson that we learned here and we're going to continue to get better."\nSenior center Sarah McKay led in scoring for the Hoosiers with 16 points while adding six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Senior guard Leah Enterline and sophomore forward Whitney Thomas also scored in double figures for the Hoosiers with 12 and 10 points, respectively.\nThe Hoosiers have a quick turnaround. Sunday they will continue their road trip as they head to Ann Arbor, Mich., and look to get back on track against Michigan, a team currently sitting in second-to-last place in the Big Ten with a 1-6 conference record.